Industry braces for fishing rules

A decision could come as soon as today limiting fisherman to as few as 20 days at sea in a year.

Federal regulators are about to finalize new commercial fishing restrictions that some fear could be a fatal blow to Maine’s groundfishing fleet.

The National Marine Fisheries Service might decide as soon as today whether to move forward with a January proposal that would effectively give Maine boats as few as 20 days at sea during the fishing year that begins May 1.

The proposal would cut fishing time by about 60 percent — the average boat now has 48 days a year — to relieve pressure on fish populations that have yet to rebound from overfishing.